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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26881972">And there's a freedom (in the change)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MYuzuki/pseuds/MYuzuki'>MYuzuki</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>No matter what’s in front of me (I’ll keep fighting til I’ve won) [46]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Final Fantasy XV</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Friendship, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Cor Leonis</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:41:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,339</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26881972</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MYuzuki/pseuds/MYuzuki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Cor would never admit it even under threat of imminent death, but he's really starting to appreciate how stressful it must have been for Regis and Clarus back in the day whenever Cor -younger and hot-blooded and entirely too prone to hurling himself at larger opponents without so much as a flicker of hesitation- pushed himself too hard and almost got himself killed for his trouble.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cor Leonis &amp; Nyx Ulric</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>No matter what’s in front of me (I’ll keep fighting til I’ve won) [46]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1897525</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>129</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>And there's a freedom (in the change)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>It's been awhile since we've had Cor's perspective, hasn't it? Anyway, here, have some Cor being aggressively worried for his friend Nyx who can't seem to stop from pushing himself too hard. ;P Also, there's a little bit of something else somewhat plot-related thrown in towards the end, but we'll see if anyone notices it. ;P (Just kidding, I'm sure you guys will pick up on it, you're all super amazing and have noticed everything else I've thrown your way so far. Also, I'm not always as subtle as I think I am. ;D)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>And there's a freedom (in the change)</strong>
</p><hr/><p>Cor would never admit it even under threat of imminent death, but he's really starting to appreciate how stressful it must have been for Regis and Clarus back in the day whenever Cor -younger and hot-blooded and entirely too prone to hurling himself at larger opponents without so much as a flicker of hesitation- pushed himself too hard and almost got himself killed for his trouble.</p><p>"I distinctly remember," he says to Nyx through gritted teeth, restraining the urge to strangle his friend through sheer willpower alone, "telling you to <em>take it easy</em>. To take it easy <em>specifically</em> so you <em>wouldn't exacerbate your injuries</em>!"</p><p>Nyx, at least, has the decency to look vaguely shamefaced about it (Cor knows himself well enough to know that if this <em>was</em> twenty years ago and their positions were reversed he would just be sulking in a vaguely belligerent way, until Regis caved and let him off with a gentle scolding to take better care of himself). "Yeah, I probably should have taken a breather instead of pushing myself so hard," he admits, rubbing the back of his neck in a gesture that all but exudes embarrassment.</p><p>"Probably?" Cor echoes, arching an eyebrow judgmentally. "Nyx, for fuck's sake, you just broke your ribs during a training exercise. Learn when to give yourself a break, for my peace of mind if nothing else."</p><p>Nyx's apologetic look shifts slightly, morphing into a smirk. "Aww, were you worried about me, Marshall? That's so sweet."</p><p>Cor punches him in the shoulder, perhaps a touch harder than he normally would to drive the point home. "Take better care of yourself," he growls, because dammit, he <em>was</em> worried.</p><p>Because Nyx occupies that strange level of skill and resilience that Cor himself is personally familiar with; stronger than most people can even fathom, and too stubborn to succumb to all but the most dire of injuries. It's a tier of existence that Cor has occupied ever since he'd stumbled out of Taelpar Crag, battered and exhausted and half-dead after battling against the Blademaster, a feat which earned him the moniker of 'Immortal'. It's a tier of existence that Nyx was elevated to after slaying Glauca in one-on-one combat after the traitor's escape from prison all those months ago (although perhaps Nyx ascended to that level before even that, courtesy of that whole other life he'd lived before dying and waking up and deciding to change the course of destiny).</p><p>Because Cor understand what it's like to be on that particular pedestal, set aside as so strong and resilient that people look at you as if you're almost a step above being human because of your accomplishments, but it's because of that understanding that he also know that even then you're till just painfully human, just as capable of getting inured and killed as anyone else when it comes right down to it.</p><p>Because he understands that for all of Nyx's strength and confidence and feats of accomplishment, he's still just a mortal man, and that mortal man is Cor's friend who pushes himself past the breaking point without a second thought.</p><p>So, yes. He was worried, when Nyx disengaged from the spar so abruptly and warped away to go clutch at his ribs like he was dying.</p><p>"Take better care of yourself," Cor repeats now, hoping that maybe (<em>maybe</em>) repetition will do the trick and convince Nyx to put himself at the top of his list of priorities for a change.</p><p>Nyx, being something of a little shit if you catch him in precisely the right (or perhaps, wrong) mood, just laughs at him. "I do take care of myself," he replies, which is possibly one of the most ridiculous lies that Cor has heard in weeks. "Besides," he adds, gaze flickering over to where Ardyn is inspecting a weapons rack with a level of interest that makes Cor twitchy on general principle, "apparently I have a healer on my side to patch me up after my bouts of stupidity now, so that's a thing."</p><p>Cor scowls before he can help it, because apparently that <em>is</em> a thing and he'd very much like to know when Ardyn fucking Izunia grew enough compassion to go out of his way to heal a Lucian warrior. Granted, Nyx isn't just <em>any</em> soldier, he's the person who could perhaps be credited with curing Ardyn of the Scourge (after all, he'd had assistance with the actual act of purification, but according to Regis the original idea had come entirely from Nyx) but still.</p><p>Before he can voice his thoughts on the matter, though, Noctis and his retinue approach.</p><p>"Commander Ulric," Ignis says, expression smooth courtesy of his training but with a hint of regret at the edges, "my most sincere apologies for any injury I might have caused you-"</p><p>Nyx just waves a hand, as if batting aside the words. "Don't apologize," he says, offering up a reassuring smile. "You didn't do anything wrong, I promise. I was just-"</p><p>"Being an idiot," Cor puts in, leveling his friend with another glare.</p><p>Nyx huffs at him, but concedes the point with a small nod. "Being an idiot," he agrees, smile turning faintly wry. "It's not <em>your</em> fault I pushed myself too hard with cracked ribs," he tells Ignis, "so don't apologize. Besides," he adds cheerfully, "thanks to that asshole over there, I'm all healed up now, good as new." He jerks a thumb over his shoulder at Ardyn, who glances over at their conversation with an expression that's almost bored before he freezes in place, gaze scanning over the faces of Noctis's friends before riveting on <em>Prompto Argentum</em> of all people.</p><p>And Cor can't even begin to understand the way the ancient Lucian's mind works or what he might be thinking, but there's no denying the fact that Ardyn is looking at the prince's best friend with an expression like he's just been smacked in the face with a shovel.</p><p>There's recognition and disbelief and a sort of flabbergasted shock.</p><p>It's only there for the span of a moment, though, before Ardyn adopts the casually smug expression he seems to favor, offering up some sly comment that makes Nyx roll his eyes before turning his attention back to the Prince and his friends, their conversation carrying on a bit longer before everyone goes their separate ways again.</p><p>It's enough to pique Cor's interest, though, <em>and</em> his suspicion, because he <em>knows</em> Prompto. Has known him in a passing-acquaintances sort of way ever since he and Noctis had gone from being casual friends to being ride-or-die inseparable, and had become even more familiar with the exuberant young man once he'd become an official member of Noctis's retinue and begun his accelerated Crownsguard training regimen.</p><p>So, yes, he knows Prompto. What he <em>doesn't</em> know is why Ardyn had looked at the boy <em>like that</em>, like he's a puzzle piece so far out of place that the image can't be solved.</p><p>He files the worry away for later consideration, though, because he'd gone through Prompto's file himself back when the boy had first needed security clearance to visit Noctis at the Citadel and he knows the rough outline of Prompto's life going as far back as his adoption from a refugee center by Lucian parents (the circumstances of his <em>arrival</em> at that center are somewhat hazy, but Cor's always attributed that to the fact that it was an extremely hectic period of the war for everyone, tumultuous to the point that it's probably a minor miracle that there are any records available from that time at all).</p><p>Besides, no matter what Ardyn is thinking of when he looks at Prompto, it's all going to be rendered moot by the end of the week anyway, once Noctis's group sets out on their journey with Lady Lunafreya. Prompto will be part of that group, venturing out of Insomnia with his friends, and he'll be far away from Ardyn Izunia and whatever it is he's not saying.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So, I hope you guys liked that!</p><p>I wasn't originally planning to have Ardyn meet the other chocobros this soon (I do have tentative plans for them to cross paths again later in the story, because the war is raging on even as our Royal Retinue goes on a road-trip/pilgrimage and Ardyn is going to get caught up in that side of the storyline along with Nyx and probably Cor (even if he doesn't realize it yet, lol) and that'll bring everyone crashing together again at some point) but then I was thinking about how Ardyn might react the first time he sees Prompto (particularly in an AU setting) because as we see in Episode Ardyn, Verstael in his youth (when Ardyn first meets him) is a dead ringer for Prompto. Which is not surprising, since Verstael basically just cloned himself and used those clones for the current MT program, but still. Imagine being Ardyn, recently defected from an Empire where he worked alongside Verstael for years, and then seeing one of those clones pop up alongside the Crown Prince of Lucis. Anyway, yeah, I Had Feelings About It, so that happened at the end of this drabble. Uh, oops? ;D</p></blockquote></div></div>
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